Acupuncture For Anxiety And Panic Attacks

If you suffer from anxiety or panic attacks, more than likely you have been offered traditional treatments by your doctors.

Medication, therapy, recommendations for exercise, diet changes, and relaxation techniques are all frequently discussed as methods of dealing with these emotional issues.

One other method not looked into as often is acupuncture. The ancient Chinese medical treatment involving needles may not be the most obvious way to treat mental health issues, but it is one used for thousands of years by millions of individuals.

Anxiety and Acupuncture

Practitioners of Chinese medicine believe that panic attacks and anxiety issues are manifested in three areas of the body; the kidneys, the spleen, and the heart.

The kidney is said to be the home of fear in the body (with fear leading to the feelings of panic and anxiety), as well as being the organ which determines how well you age and your overall constitution. Stress affects the kidneys the hardest, which in turn affects the rest of your body.

The spleen is thought to act on the organizing of thoughts and ideas. Due to this, it holds all of the worries in the body. An affected spleen cannot ‘let go’ of negative thoughts and emotions, which builds up anxiety.

The heart is seen as those in Western medicine see the brain, the place where all the thinking, processing, and consciousness are housed. It is the place where the spirit resides.

What Panic Symptoms Does Acupuncture Treat?

Acupuncture can treat all three of these areas to help release stress and reduce panic attacks. The main focus is to calm the heart, which in turn will help release the strongholds on the other organs.

In addition, Western scientists have documented positive results on the chemistry of the brain for those individuals undergoing acupuncture. This can be experienced by the patient themselves with the relaxed and calming feeling that they develop both while undergoing the therapy, as well as the after effects.

The Acupuncture practitioner triggers these reactions by placing thin needles, thinner than a human hair, at specific trigger points on the body, where they believe that the energy that flows through your body is either blocked or obstructed.

After the needle as “awakened” that portion of the body and the energy is once again flowing correctly, the patient feels the effects of the endorphins which provide a euphoric feeling (similar to an antidepressant drug, but without the concerning side effects).

Once the treatment is complete, the patient is able to relax, and start to enjoy life again.